AGRICULTURE. 
service in collecting and diffusing informa- 
tion, and in promoting a spirit of emulation, 
with respect to the management and pro- 
ductions of their native soil. The names of 
Kaims and Hunter, of Anderson and Mar- 
shall, of Sinclair and Young, are celebrated 
by publications, exhibiting a union of philo- 
sophical sagacity and patient experiment; 
the results of which have been ot incalcula- 
ble advantage ; and to the efforts of these 
and other individuals, it may be ascribed 
that a board of agriculture was established 
by the government in 1793, whose exertions 
in procuring and publishing intelligence on 
the objects of its establishment have intitled 
it to the highest credit. By its agricultural 
surveys, by its diffusion of rewards for im- 
portant discoveries, and of premiums for 
valuable treatises, and by its exertions at 
critical periods of scarcity, its utility and 
merit may be considered not only as decid- 
ed, but distinguished. It has the power of 
directing public attention to any topics 
particularly requiring practical research 01 
illustration, and possesses the means of most 
advantageously diffusing its collections, cii- 
cumstancps of high importance to the utility 
of the establishment. It must be regarded 
as its privilege as well as duty, to suggest, 
from time to time, to the legislature means 
for removing various impediments still ex- 
isting to the perfection of the art, for the 
promotion of which it is expressly instituted. 
ON INCLOSING AN1I DRAINING. 
Inclosing of lands must be considered as 
the grand foundation of all improvements. 
When remaining open, litigations between 
neighbours are perpetually occurring, and 
the ingenuity of any individual proprietor 
is of little use to him, as he is obliged to 
follow the practice pursued by the ignorant 
and obstinate occupiers of the common 
property in which he shares. In connection 
with inclosures may be considered the prac- 
tice of draining lands, which is the next 
step in rendering them productive. The 
superabundance of water is no less injurious 
to vegetation than the absolute w 7 ant of it ; 
and, whether arising from rain stagnating 
on the surface, or from springs in the interior 
of the earth, it is one of the most important 
objects of the farmer to prevent its pernici- 
ous consequences. For this purpose open 
or visible drains are in many cases adopted, 
while in others, hollow ones, so called from 
their being concealed in covered trenches 
are preferred. The width and depth of 
open drains must be regulated by the 
variety of soil, and situation to which they 
are applied. To prevent, however, the sides 
from falling in, they must at top be three 
times the width they have at bottom ; while 
their direction must obviously, and of neces- 
sity, be descending, it should at the same 
time not be steep, as this would form in- 
equalities, and bear down their sides by 
the rapid rush of the water. All open 
drains should be cleared, at least, once in 
every year; which regular repairs may, in 
some cases, render them in the end more 
expensive than those denominated hollow, 
which will sometimes last for several gene- 
rations unimpaired, but demand originally a 
far greater sum for their completion. 
The practice of hollow draining was 
known by the Roman writers on agricul- 
ture, and is particularly mentioned by them. 
In stiff clays it is of little service, and it is 
practised with desired effect only where the 
soil is of that porous substance which easily 
admits the passage of the water through it. 
Opinions differ with regard to the season for 
carrying these works into execution, some 
with plausible reason preferring the sum- 
mer, and others having nearly as much to 
state in recommendation of winter for the 
purpose. The depth of the drain from the 
surfkce of the land should generally be from 
twenty-six inches to thirty-two; and the 
principal rule for their depth is, that they 
should be secured from receiving injury 
from the feet of horses or cattle ploughing 
on the spot under which they are made. It 
is desirable to constitute the drain in such a 
manner that the stones may lean towards 
each other, so as to form a triangle, of which 
the bottom of the drain forms the base ; in 
which case the width of a foot may be 
regarded as sufficient for them. The ditches 
constructed for these drains must be exe- 
cuted with great neatness and care ; and 
with respect to filling them up, which they 
should be about ten inches deepf, if stones 
are plentifully at hand they should be ap- 
plied for this purpose. But in many places 
faggot-wood, horns, bones, straw, fern, and 
even turf, laid in like a wedge, are all used 
in different situations, and drains construct- 
ed of these materials, thirty years ago, are 
found in several places effectually to answer 
their purpose still. By many persons, straw 
twisted into a very large rope, has been 
successfully laid in the bottom of the ditch ; 
and by others, after twenty years experience, 
the white thorn has been recommended as 
answerinsr better than all other materials. 
